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Reflections with
Camp & Retreat Ministries![]()
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What's in a Name?
This summer our campers will get to ask the question, “What’s in a Name?” as they engage with the national camping curriculum from InsideOut, an ecumenical group of writers and designers who produce curriculum for mainline denominational camps across the country (our own Troy Taylor, director at Camp Magruder, is a member). We are excited to help campers explore the Bible in stories about encounters with God—specifically through name changes. Each name brings with it a meaning and significance that can help us understand the story more fully. Knowing the meaning of a name opens the opportunity for us to have a deeper understanding of God’s work in our own lives.
The biblical stories that are part of the curriculum are Moses and the burning bush, Zacchaeus, Elizabeth and John, Naomi, Jacob, and Simon. These are the themes for each day:
- Day 1: Moses and the burning bush, “Moses Name Dropping”
- Day 2: Zacchaeus, “Name Calling”
- Day 3: Elizabeth names John, “Given Name”
- Day 4: Naomi names herself, “That’s not my name”
- Day 5: Jacob becomes Israel, “Name Tag”
- Day 6: Simon Becomes Peter, “What’s in a name?”
- Day 7: Moses and the Burning Bush (revisited), “More than a name”
There are so many wonderful stories of naming in the Bible, and we are pleased that our campers will get an opportunity to look at these powerful narratives of life-changing encounters with the Living God. We twenty-first century Christians sometimes miss the insights available in these stories because we have forgotten or maybe never even knew the meaning of the names of biblical characters or places. One of the gifts of the First Nations’ Version of Christian Scripture (New Testament) is the inclusion of the meaning of names, both of people and of places. I invite you to find a copy of this valuable resource that can open windows for you to see more clearly what God was up to in the lives of our ancestors and what God is up to in your life today.
On the road to wonder, love, and justice,
Rev. Todd Bartlett
Executive Director of Camp and Retreat Ministries
*PHOTO: The logo for this summer's camp curriculum (InsideOut).
Upcoming Events!
There's still time to make sure you get in on the fun at camp this summer! Here are some opportunities we're spotlighting this week. Click on the blue link to get more information and register.
Memorial Day Work weekends:
Other upcoming events we’d like to highlight and ask you to share with people you know:
Petkes Announce Retirement
After much discernment, Jane and Daniel Petke, long-time directors at Suttle Lake Camp, have determined that this will be their last summer season before retiring from this ministry. They plan to stay until we have a new director in place late in 2023 or by the end of March of 2024.
We celebrate with Jane and Daniel their 23-plus years of service in creating sacred space at Suttle Lake Camp. With this announcement, we hope you will take the opportunity throughout the coming months to express your appreciation for their ministry. We look forward to an opportunity to gather folks together in the fall to show our gratitude in person for the many ways that Jane and Daniel have provided leadership, compassion, hospitality, and opportunities to learn throughout this significant portion of the history of our ministry at Suttle Lake Camp. In their announcement to the Board of Camp & Retreat Ministry, they shared these thoughts:
“We are looking forward to a new chapter in our lives as well as the next phase for the ministry at camp. We are working with our Executive Director, Todd Bartlett, towards a smooth transition sometime at the end of 2023 or early in 2024. Our intentions are to stay in the Camp Sherman / Sisters area for the foreseeable future. We look forward to supporting the next director in establishing a strong foundation as they begin their time at Suttle Lake….Your continued prayers and support are appreciated as together we enter this time of transition. We have been blessed in our time serving as a part of Camp and Retreat Ministries alongside this incredible team. Thank you for the many ways you’ve touched our lives and how you continue to share God’s love with others.”
*PHOTO: Jane and Daniel Petke, co-directors at Suttle Lake Camp for over 23 years (Conner Petke).
Blessings Report
- Trained lifeguards
- Partner groups doing good in the world
- Work groups on sites during Memorial Day Weekend
Please send your blessings to share in future issues of the e-news.
Invest in a Name!
Your camper may not come home with a new name this summer, but we believe they will come home with a new awareness of how we can be changed by our encounters with God's love and with God's amazing creation. If you read Todd's article above, you know how excited we are to have our campers engage with this year's curriculum, "What's in a Name?" When you donate to camp and retreat ministries, your dollars help us to purchase this fabulous resource, which in turn helps our campers understand how name changes in the Bible are related to the changes they experience today. What's in a name? In this case: a great investment opportunity! Won't you join with us to provide excellent curriculum tools for our ministry? Just click the green button below.
